Wake Forest finally turns lights out on Blue Hose

Wake Forest linebacker Brandon Chubb, center, races into the end zone with teammate Mike Olson, right, while pursued by Presbyterian quarterback Tamyn Garrick during the third quarter of Thursday night's game.

The Associated Press

By Conor O'Neill / Times-News

Published: Friday, August 30, 2013 at 01:03 AM.

WINSTON-SALEM — Wake Forest’s defense turned out the lights on Presbyterian, even while the lights of BB&T Stadium were turned off.

Wake Forest forced six turnovers, allowed two first downs and gave up 151 yards, which is even more impressive considering Presbyterian’s first offensive play was a 66-yard run.

“Everybody was disappointed, but I feel like as a defense we did a great job not getting mad at each other,” said cornerback Kevin Johnson of the mood on the sideline. “We just rallied back and fixed the corrections that happened on that play.”

Those corrections held Presbyterian from making its next first down for about 43 minutes of game time, until the first minute of the fourth quarter.

There was a blown transformer midway through the first quarter that turned off most of the lights on the west side of the stadium. According to a release from the school, when stadium personnel tried to fix the initial problem, the lights on the opposite side of the stadium lost power and ultimately forced a nine-minute delay.

Before the pause, the teams squeezed in the last two minutes of the first quarter. On the first play after the lights were off, linebacker Mike Olson picked off a bobbled pass over the middle.

Wake Forest forced six turnovers, allowed two first downs and gave up 151 yards, which is even more impressive considering Presbyterian’s first offensive play was a 66-yard run.

“Everybody was disappointed, but I feel like as a defense we did a great job not getting mad at each other,” said cornerback Kevin Johnson of the mood on the sideline. “We just rallied back and fixed the corrections that happened on that play.”

Those corrections held Presbyterian from making its next first down for about 43 minutes of game time, until the first minute of the fourth quarter.

There was a blown transformer midway through the first quarter that turned off most of the lights on the west side of the stadium. According to a release from the school, when stadium personnel tried to fix the initial problem, the lights on the opposite side of the stadium lost power and ultimately forced a nine-minute delay.

Before the pause, the teams squeezed in the last two minutes of the first quarter. On the first play after the lights were off, linebacker Mike Olson picked off a bobbled pass over the middle.

Johnson added an interception in the second quarter. Linebacker Brandon Chubb returned an interception 29 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.

“For us to be a good football team, (defense) has to be the strength of our football team,” Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said.

Grobe might have arrived at that conclusion before the game, but the offense’s performance didn’t do much to convince him otherwise.

The new-look option offense of Wake Forest provided a few bright spots, but mostly struggled to sustain drives.

“Offensively we sputtered back and forth,” Grobe said.

The most glaring problem was an inability to capitalize on six possessions that started on Presbyterian’s side of the 50-yard line. Wake Forest came away with 17 points from those chances.

The Demon Deacons were missing senior receiver Michael Campanaro, who warmed up and took the sidelines in uniform but didn’t play because of a hamstring injury.

Out of that came the need for a go-to receiver for quarterback Tanner Price, a role that was filled by redshirt freshman Jonathan Williams (five receptions, 143 yards).

“It made me wonder, do I need to step up or not?” Williams said of his reaction to Campanaro’s inability to play. “Because I’ve been one of the receivers the coaches have been talking to a lot, and a lot of the other guys were thinking it was time for us to step up.”

Price provided an adequate game, tossing a 21-yard touchdown to tight end Spencer Bishop and diving in for a 3-yard touchdown run. Both of those came in the second quarter.

The bright spot that caught Grobe’s eye was that nine true freshmen saw action. Grobe, who’s in his 13th season at Wake Forest, had never played more than three true freshmen in a season.

True freshman Cory Helms started at center but was replaced after the first two series. He’s the first true freshman to start a Wake Forest season opener since Marvin Mitchell started at defensive tackle in 1987.

“I just told the (assistant coaches) not to put anybody on the field that we’re going to feel like we’re wasting a year of their eligibility,” Grobe said.

■EXTRA POINTS …: Campanaro “could have played,” Grobe said, but the senior receiver didn’t want to risk further injury. … The offensive highlight of the second half came on Josh Wilhite’s 21-yard tip-toe touchdown down the right sideline. It was the final score of the game and the redshirt freshman’s first career carry. … Former Eastern Alamance standout Ali Lamot, a freshman linebacker, didn’t suit up and wasn’t listed on Wake Forest’s depth chart.